About Us

Hyde Park Neighborhood Association (HPNA)

The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association (HPNA) is your neighborhood association!! We are a grassroots non-profit 501 C 3 organization run by residents and volunteers. The HPNA was formed to facilitate the preservation, redevelopment and historic value of the neighborhood while retaining the historic character of our diverse community and improve its overall livability. Some of the purposes of the HPNA are to: foster community and civic engagement, beautiful and re-establish Hyde Park as the focal point, eradicate vacancy and nuisance properties and to welcome and support community and businesses development in our neighborhood.

Our goal is to preserve the character that of Hyde Park neighborhood as a desirable and distinguished neighborhood. Working together we can make a difference!

Our Philosophy

Our Mission – To promote collaborative activities and foster civic involvement in our diverse community for both renters and homeowners. Re-purpose vacant lots, renovate our historic buildings and stabilize the neighborhood by facilitating compatible new development and redevelopment projects.

Our Purpose – To provide a voice, an effective means of conveying the concerns of the residents and to create and maintain transparency as we strive to operate as a community improvement neighborhood association for the neighborhood always working towards the overall rehabilitation and beautification of the neighborhood.

Our Board Members

Fatimah Muhammad – Founder and Vice Chair

Fatimah has been a resident of Hyde Park for over 20 years. She and her family purchased a 120 year old LRA property, completed a total rehab, and have called it home for 23+ years.

Fatimah holds an Associates of Applied Science Degree in Interior Design and a Certificate in Interior Decorating and Fashion Merchandising and Business Development. Fatimah has a unique background in elegant leadership and project management. She prides herself as being a “social, serial entrepreneur”. Though she has retired, she has owned and operated several successful brick & mortar businesses that spanned over 4 decades. Her continued education in Business Administration, Community Development, Project Management, Site Development and Paralegal studies afforded her the opportunity to develop women power sharing circles in Egypt, Ghana and India. Her compassion for empowering people lead her to accept the role of Executive Director of WOMB (Women Overcoming Maladaptive Behaviors) a 501 C 3 nonprofit agency where she was instrumental in implementing holistic life skills and entrepreneurial coaching. She also has held the position of MWBE (Minority, Women-owned Business Enterprises) Contract Compliance Specialist for both commercial and residential projects, and MWBE Certification Specialist for the City of St. Louis.

Fatimah currently serves on the SLACO Board of Directors, is a Member of the Reinvestment & Reuse Working Group, Finest Fifteen LRA Sub Committee, Equitable St. Louis Coalition for Community Benefits Agreements and Community Builders Network (CBN)

Her mission is to help revitalize the Hyde Park neighborhood– By Hand to commit to do the work, by By Heart with compassion, and By Eye to see clearly and remain focused. She is a servant of her community and the community at large.

Darnell Coleman, Jr.

Darnell Coleman, Jr. was introduced to St. Louis as an IT professional. After purchasing a home in Hyde Park and becoming a member of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association his career path expanded to include community development and urban planning. His home town Atlanta, GA afforded him the opportunity to be exposed to and involved with the architects, housing developers and urban planners working throughout his community as it was transformed by a spur of mixed use, commercial and residential development. He brings that knowledge and experience to the Hyde Park neighborhood and is looking forward to this same type of transformation here in Hyde Park.

Mark Pappas – Board Member At Large

Mark Pappas is a practicing artist/ painter/ designer & musician.Mark has interests in ancient history and civilizations, and how different peoples of the ancient world coexisted by synthesizing mythologies and religions to form singular theories. He purchased the old Divoll Branch, Carnegie Library of Hyde Park in 2004, after returning to his home city of being away for 27 years. He is developing the old library to become a Museum of Mythology & Philosophy, based in the Civic Arts & Sciences. Mark loves Hyde Park and its inhabitants and feels he is in his element and has finally found his purpose.

Donna Lindsay – Board Member At Large

Donna Lindsey is a life long resident and homeowner in Hyde Park. She is the Food Service Director of Most Holy Trinity Catholic School, in Hyde Park. She is involved in various programs involving the students at Most Holy Trinity Academy and supports them in all of their efforts. Her commitment to the HPNA is to help make a difference in the community.

Education and communication are two things that will take us far.

Angela Drake – Fundraising Committee Chair

Angela Drake is single mother of 3 beautiful children. A St. Louis native, Angela realized early on that she had a love for the beautiful architectural buildings here in North St. Louis and a passion to bring them back to their glory. Angela pursued her real estate career and received her license in March 2003. She became a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), Missouri Association of Realtors (MAR) and St. Louis Associations of Realtors (SLAR) and continues to be an active member.

Angela’s interest in the St. Louis vacant land bank, St.
Louis Land Reutilization Authority (LRA), led her to research and gain an understanding
of how to purchase LRA properties. This
knowledge gave her the incentive to become more involved with the neighborhood
association, which lead to her involvement with St. Louis Association of
Community Organizations (SLACO). After joining
SLACO, Angela was nominated and elected as the Executive Board Secretary and is
currently serving in that position. Her
continued involvement with SLACO and the vacancy issues within her community
lead to her to becoming a LRA Committee Member which then led to the formation
of the Finest 15 which is a collaboration between SLACO and LRA. Angela was instrumental in organizing this
newly found committee, whose mission is to promote homeownership by educating
individuals on how to purchase, and secure financial resources for the renovation
of LRA properties and becoming proud home owners. Currently the Finest 15 has assisted over 50
people with purchasing LRA property, some of which have become individual homes
and others as investment property.

Angela is committed to the HPNA and community
improvements. She is the organizer of
the Hyde Park “Purpose for The Park” Fundraising Gala and the Hyde Park HouseTours.

Advisory Board Members

Cheryl Walker

Advisory Board Member & Chair of Community Development Committee
Cheryl Walker is the Community Development Director for Stifel Bank & Trust. She is passionate about delivering financial empowerment and resources to the members of our community. She is a graduate of the University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg were she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a major in General Management.
Cheryl Walker is a long time resident of the city of St. Louis where she raised 2 children. Cheryl’s passion for community development and wealth building led her to start her own business – Property Shoppers, LLC where she and her husband rehab properties in the city of St. Louis to low/median income families.

Dee Brown

Dee Brown has lived in the Carondelet Neighborhood for over 32 yrs. and actively involved in her neighborhood association and community organizations. She is currently employed as a Registered Nurse, with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Most of her career is devoted to Community Health Nursing.

Dee attended the Citizens Police Academy in the Spring of 2013 and that experience motivated her to work with neighbors to form the Southside Safety Group in Sept. 2013. Their name changed to the St. Louis Safety Group in Sept. 2015.
She currently serves on the Carondelet Business Association Board and the Board of City Seniors Inc.
Her passion and strengths are working with neighbors to make a difference in their neighborhoods. Dee especially enjoys attending neighborhood meetings and participating in community events.

Kathleen Green Henry

Kathleen is the President, Great Rivers Environmental Law Center. She grew up floating Missouri’s streams and rivers, gaining a deep appreciation for the outdoors. Her parents were active in environmental causes and Kathleen assisted them by stuffing envelopes and baking lemon bars for fundraisers. After graduating from Washington University Law School, Kathleen worked as a Public Defender doing criminal appeals. This work prepared her for the uphill battles environmental plaintiffs face in the justice system. In 2002, Kathleen helped found Great Rivers and she has been working at it ever since. For Great Rivers, Kathleen has worked on zoning matters, park protection, environmental justice issues, climate change and public health, and water quality issues.

Spenser Owens

Advisory Board Member & Chair of HPNA Strategic Planning Committee

Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Spenser graduated from Washington University School of Law in 2018. He connected with the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association through the Washington University Urban Revitalization Clinic, and is committed to working to make Hyde Park a better place.